Ju Wenjun – Tan Zhongyi FIDE Women’s World Championship inaugurated
Chinese Grandmasters Ju Wenjun (2561) and Tan Zhongyi (2555) will fight for the FIDE Women’s World Championship title along with a prize fund of Euros 500,000 at Shanghai starting 3rd April, 2025. After becoming the women’s world champion Ju Wenjun successfully defended thrice viz., 2018, 2020, 2023 and will be gunning for her fifth title. Challenger & former women’s world champion Tan Zhongyi is no pushover, having won the world title in 2017 and will be tough nut to crack.
Earlier today, at 4PM local time the event was inaugurated in the Grand Banquet Hall on the fifth floor of the JW Marriott Hotel Shanghai. First six games shall be played at Shanghai, the home town of Ju Wenjun and the second set of six games will take place in Chongqing, where Tan Zhongyi was born.
China has remained a powerhouse of chess ever since Xie Jun became the women’s world champion in 1999. Following Xie, Zhu Chen, Xu Yuhua, Hou Yifan, Tan Zhongyi and Ju Wenjun kept the championship under Chinese fold.
Delivering the welcome address, Xu Bin, Director General of Shanghai Administration of Sports stated,”We are delighted to host the FIDE Women’s World Championship Match once again. Ju Wenjun will defend her title as reigning champion against Tan Zhongyi, marking their second showdown in this Championship Match. I believe that this world-class event will reignite Shanghai’s passion for chess once again, and further promote the popularity and development of the sport.”
Victor Bologan, FIDE Management Board Executive Director read a letter on behalf of FIDE President Arkady Dvorkovich, who was unable to attend. “The match between Tan Zhongyi and Ju Wenjun is not only a milestone for chess but also for China,” he began, highlighting the nation’s legacy in the sport: “My dear friends, this year marks 50 years since China joined FIDE. Today, China is one of the world’s great chess nations. It has produced world champions in both the open and women’s competitions, holds the record for the most Women’s World Champions (six, ahead of the USSR’s five), and boasts numerous players in the world’s top 100. With such success comes great responsibility—to promote and expand the game. FIDE and the global chess community are deeply grateful for China’s contributions and hopeful that we will see even more investment in chess, more events, and an even brighter future for the game in this country.”
The all-Chinese FIDE Women’s world Championship contest might look routine from outside, but knowing Ju and Tan one can definitely expect a real bull-fight. In the draw of lots for the color, world champion picked up white and will push for the advantage right from the world go.
The 2025 FIDE Women’s World Chess Championship match follows a 12-game format and the first player to score 6.5 points will be declared the winner. The time control for each game is 90 minutes for the first 40 moves, followed by 30 minutes for the rest of the game, with an increment of 30 seconds per move starting from move 1. If the match is tied at 6-6 after all 12 games, a tiebreak will determine the champion. The tiebreak procedure involves a series of rapid and, if necessary, blitz games to ensure a decisive outcome.
The first game is scheduled to begin tomorrow, 3rd April 2025, at 3PM local time.
Picture Courtesy: Anna Shtourman at https://www.fide.com/
Official Site: https://womenworldchampionship2025.fide.com/
